Jill Brown, secretary of the New Zealand Continence Association, says her country has guidelines for incontinence care, but following them is far from standard procedure.

"The problem doesn’t receive enough attention," she says. "The resources just aren’t there."

The coming challenge for her organisation is to persuade decision-makers at the Ministry of Health that national guidelines for incontinence care are a priority. They have already gained permission to form an Expert Advisory Board made up of health care professionals, patients, consumers, buyers of medical aids and local decision-makers in the health-care sector.

The New Zealand Continence Association will handle an annual information week about incontinence, targeting the public. TV and radio advertising help guide people to a free telephone advice line.

Brown relates the story of a unique project aimed at women of New Zealand’s aboriginal group, the Maoris. "We’ve seen that the Maoris have a major problem with incontinence. Almost half of the women we have examined have trouble," Jill Brown says.

The subject is taboo, as is anything that touches on parts of the body between the waist and the knees. Another problem is that the Maoris have little regard for information that comes from sources outside of their own community. Standard health-care communication tactics don’t work.

"We’re getting round that by educating opinion-builders within the Maori group and allowing them to pass on information about incontinence," Brown explains.

TEXT GABOR HONT PHOTO MARTTI KAINULAINEN/LEHTIKUVA